Christiane F. (German: Christiane F. – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo, de ) is a 1981 West German biographical drama film directed by Uli Edel. It depicts the descent of Christiane Felscherinow, a bored and depressed 13-year-old coming of age in 1970s West Berlin, to a 14-year-old heroin addict. Based on the 1978 non-fiction book Zoo Station: The Story of Christiane F., transcribed and edited from tape recordings by Kai Hermann and Horst Rieck, the film immediately acquired cult status and features David Bowie as both composer and as himself. In 2013, Felscherinow published her autobiography Christiane F. – My Second Life.
Contents
Plot
In 1976, thirteen-year-old Christiane Felscherinow lives with her mother, younger sister, and her pet cat in their small apartment in an unkempt multi-story, concrete social-housing building in a dull neighborhood on the outskirts of West Berlin, Joachim-Gottschalk-Weg 10, 7th Floor. She is tired of living there and is a huge fan of David Bowie. She hears of Sound, a new trending nightclub in the city's center. Although she is not old enough to get in, she dresses up in high heels and makeup, and asks a popular classmate, Kessi, who goes there regularly, to take her. Kessi also provides her with pills.
At the club, Christiane is sexually harassed by various young boys but meets a slightly older boy named Detlev, who is part of a clique where everybody uses various types of drugs. A day later, they go back to the same club and meet the same clique. They decide to break into a closed shopping mall and steal money from a lottery booth, resulting in the group becoming separated as they evade the police. Detlev and Christiane make it to the roof, get to know each other better and are soon joined by the rest of the group.
